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Stories about us: Queer reads

This guide includes both fiction and non-fiction books and Internet resources which feature information for young people related to growing up gay or lesbian.

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If you are searching the library catalogue, you may find the following subject headings useful:

Fiction

Catherine Atkins Alt ed
Participating in a special after-school counseling class with other troubled students, including a sensitive gay classmate, helps Susan, an overweight tenth grader, develop a better sense of herself.
Marion Dane Bauer, editor Am I blue? Coming out from the silence
Short stories by a variety of authors exploring the gay and lesbian experience.
Francesca Lia Block The Weetzie bat books; Baby be bop; Girl Goddess #9
In The Weetzie bat books, Weetzie and Dirk are two new-wave Los Angeles teenagers searching for true love. Weetzie finds it with the mysterious Secret Agent Lover Man, Dirk with Duck, an attractive surfer. The two couples, one gay, one straight, create a home for themselves. In Baby be bop Dirk wrestles with coming out. Girl Goddess #9 contains nine zany stories about the turbulent experiences of females.
Dare truth or promisePaula Boock Dare truth or promise (NZ)
The story of Louie and Willa, two adolescent Dunedin schoolgirls. Louie plans to be a lawyer. She is a child of a middle-class Catholic family. Willa lives with her widowed mother in a down-at-heels city pub. She is also coming to terms with being gay. Willa and Louie meet, fall passionately in love, and face the consequences.
Aidan Chambers Dance on my grave : a life and a death in four parts
Hal, 16, meets handsome, dashing Barry and is amazed by the immediate attraction between them.
PostcardsAidan Chambers Postcards from no man's land
What happens to Jacob Todd when he visits his grandfather's grave at the annual commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem is paralleled in time by the events of the dramatic day in World War II, when retreating troops were sheltered by the family of Geertrui Van Riet.
Chris Crutcher Ironman
Bo Brewster has always fought with his father, but when his angry outbursts get him kicked off the football team and almost expelled, he is sent to anger management classes. He also has to deal with finding out his swimming coach is gay.
Michael Ford Suicide notes
In his witty breakout novel, Ford delivers a poignant and darkly humorous story about life and the pursuit of happiness. After 15-year-old Jeff wakes up in a hospital psychiatric ward, he's a little fuzzy on how he got there. One thing's for sure--he doesn't belong there.
Nancy Garden Good moon rising
Jan begins her senior year of high school not expecting that she will lose the starring part in the school play, take over as director when her beloved drama teacher becomes ill, and realize that she is a lesbian.
Nancy Garden Annie on my mind
A story of first love, when two high school girls in New York meet and are immediately drawn together.
Brent Hartinger Geography club
A group of gay and lesbian teenagers finds mutual support when they form the "Geography Club" at their high school.
Brent Hartinger The order of the poison oak
After "coming out" at school, sixteen-year-old Russel decides to take a counsellor job at a camp for burn victims to get away from the antagonism of his classmates, but finds ten-year-old boys have just as many problems as he does.
Brent Hartinger Split screen
Two books in one tell of sixteen-year-old friends Russel, who is gay, and Min, who is bisexual, as they face separate romantic troubles while working as extras on the set of a horror movie.
M E Kerr "Hello," I lied
Lang is out and in love with his boyfriend. Then he develops an attraction for a female visitor, leading to some serious questions about sexual identity, love and attraction.
M E Kerr Deliver us from Evie
Evie falls in love with rich and beautiful Patsy. They decide to live together, leaving behind the small town that is changed as a result of their courage.
David Levithan Boy meets boy
When Paul falls hard for Noah, he thinks he has found his one true love, but when things take a turn for the worse and Noah walks out of his life, Paul has to find a way to get him back and make everything right once more, in a tale about the up, downs, and dramas of teen relationships.
David Levithan Wide Awake
In the not-too-distant future, when a gay Jewish man is elected president of the United States, sixteen-year-old Duncan examines his feelings for his boyfriend, his political and religious beliefs, and tries to determine his rightful place in the world.
Lauren Myracle Kissing Kate
"It was one thing for someone else to be gay. It was something else entirely if it was me." Lissa, 16, has been best friends with beautiful Kate for four years, but everything changes when Kate gets drunk at a party, and she and Lissa passionately kiss. Lissa is desperate to talk about it, but Kate wants to pretend that nothing happened. This first novel does a great job of showing the girls' surprise at the situation and the way their emotions swing from attraction to denial. Booklist
Grl2grlJulie Anne Peters Grl2Grl
In this honest and emotional short story collection, a renowned author and National Book Award finalist offers a stunning portrayal of young women as they navigate the hurdles of relationships and sexual identity.
Julie Anne Peters Luna
Fifteen-year-old Regan's life, which has always revolved around keeping her older brother Liam's transsexuality a secret, changes when Liam decides to start the process of "transitioning" by first telling his family and friends that he is a girl who was born in a boy's body.
See more books by Julie Anne Peters
Sara Ryan Empress of the world
While attending a summer institute, fifteen-year-old Nic meets another girl named Battle, falls in love with her, and finds the relationship to be difficult and confusing.
Sara Ryan The Rules for hearts
Battle Hall Davies' brother Nick ran away from home when she was in high school. Now he has found her and she is going to stay with him for the summer before starting college. Battle discovers that neither she nor her brother is the person she thought they were.
Alex Sanchez Rainbow Road
While driving across the United States during the summer after high school graduation, three young gay men encounter various bisexual and homosexual people and make some decisions about their own relationships and lives.
Jane Summer Not the only one
Lesbian and gay fiction for teens
Joyce Sweeney Face the Dragon
After going to a special school for gifted students, fourteen-year-old Eric and his best friend Paul seem to undergo a dynamic change in their relationship.
William Taylor The blue lawn (NZ)
Fifteen-year-old David develops a strong friendship with Theo, a sixteen-year-old who recently arrived in town, and both boys wonder how to deal with the feelings they have for each other.
JeromeWilliam Taylor Jerome (NZ)
Devastated by the death of their friend Jerome, Marco and Katie turn to each other for comfort and answers. Separated by thousands of miles, they converse through a series of online chats, faxes and e-mails. This is a portrait of self-discovery that rings with humour and authenticity.
Jeannette Winterson Oranges are not the only fruit
This startling novel describes the adolescence of a bright and rebellious orphan adopted into a Pentecostal household in the dour, industrial Midlands of England and her coming to terms with her unorthodox sexuality.
Ellen Wittlinger Hard Love; Ellen Wittlinger Love and Lies
In Love and Lies, the companion to the book Hard Love, Marisol Guzman falls head-over-heels for her writing class teacher. However, as Marisol's newly out friend Lee becomes attracted to her, Marisol begins to wonder if she's too blinded by love to see the truth.
Ellen Wittlinger Parrotfish
Grady, a transgendered high school student, yearns for acceptance by his classmates and family as he struggles to adjust to his new identity as a male

Non-fiction

GLBTQ: The survival guide to queer and questioning teens Kelly Huegel
A frank, sensitive book written for teens who are beginning to question their sexual or gender identity and who need advice, guidance, reassurance, and reminders that they are not alone. Kelly Huegel offers practical advice, knowing encouragement, accessible resources, and real-life testimonials from teens who've "been there."
What if someone I know is gay? Eric Marcus
If you think your friend is a lesbian, can you ask her? How do people become gay? Is it a sin? Is it a choice? No question goes unanswered in this important book about being gay. Expert Eric Marcus candidly and clearly pushes aside the myths and misinformation about being gay and lesbian, answering all the questions that are on your mind.
The shared heart: portraits and stories celebrating lesbian, gay, and bisexual young people Adam Mastoon
This title combines portraits of gay, lesbian, and bisexual young people with powerful stories about their lives.
The Journey out: A guide for and about lesbian, gay, and bisexual teens Rachel Pollack and Cheryl Schwartz
Suggests how gay, lesbian, and bisexual teenagers may discover their sexual orientation, find self-acceptance, come out, cope with prejudice, and deal with religious and political issues.
The heart has its reasonsThe Heart has its reasons: young adult literature with gay/lesbian/queer content, 1969-2004 Michael Cart and Christine Jenkins
Society does not make it easy for young people, regardless of their sexual orientation, to find accurate, nonjudgmental information about homosexuality. It makes it even more difficult for young homosexuals. This book examines these issues and evaluates the body of literature, published for young adults that offer homosexual themes and characters.
S.E.X. : The all-you-need-to-know progressive sexuality guide to get you through high school and college Heather Corinna
Heather Corinna and Scarleteen.com have been providing sex education and information for young adults, parents, and mentors for nearly ten years. Whether you're straight, gay, sexually active, or just plain curious, S.E.X. spells out everything you need to know.

Web sites

Rainbow Youth New Zealand
Rainbow Youth is an Auckland based Queer/GLBTTFI Youth Organisation. Run by Youth for Youth.
Out There
OUT THERE is a Joint National Queer Youth Development Project between the New Zealand AIDS Foundation and Rainbow Youth. The aim of OUT THERE is to enhance the wellbeing of Queer youth within Aotearoa NZ.
OutlineNZ
OUTLine NZ provides a free, confidential and non-judgemental telephone counselling service.
HRC - National Coming Out Day
The Coming Out Project helps GLBT, as well as straight-supportive people live openly and talk about their support for equality at home, at work and in their communities each and every day
Qtopia
Organisation aimed at queer youth (or youth who are questioning their sexual identity) aged 14-25 in the Canterbury region